Northeast CWS makes impactful debut at Elizabethtown College

Nearly 140 students from four prominent NHI regions — the Northeast, the Midwest, Texas and Mexico — convened at Elizabethtown College for the first-ever Northeast CWS program at the Central Pennsylvania college from July 17-21.

In the League Series portion of the program, in which participants learn about the college application process, a mix of students from the four regions, brought together under the Cornell University banner, won the competition.

“I’ve learned how to build a community that is larger than just the people you see in person on a day-to-day basis,” said Dennis Saucedo, a member of the winning Cornell team, from Bishop Dunne High School in Dallas. “I’ve made strong, lasting connections with fellow NHIers who I only get to see at NHI programs. I’ve learned how to utilize my set of skills to benefit programs and participants as a staff member. I’ve found my support and my foundation within the institution, and it has provided me with a home.”

As with other CWS programs, the Inquiry-Based Learning portion at the Northeast CWS, covered in the Thought Series competition, provided challenges and rewards to the participants.

“The most impactful part of my experience was probably the IBL series, reflected Yuryselle Chavez from Plano High School in Plano, Texas. “The most impactful part of my experience was probably the IBL series. The series really made you think, not about how you are going to do something, but why you should even do it.”

She added, “The program really made you feel at home. NHI really makes you feel at home. It’s not about where you are or what you’re doing; it’s about the people you surround yourself with that make the biggest impact.”

“I realized that not everything in the college process is going to be perfect,” said another victorious team member, Marina Flores of Stony Point High School in Round Rock, Texas. “There are going to be wins and losses, but overall, trusting myself and my ability to IBL, I’ll get through everything and it will be okay.”

She added, reflecting on the program’s lasting impacts, “I also found a new sense of confidence going into my last year of high school, thanks to the friends I’ve made along the way on my NHI journey.”

The winners of the League Series at the Northeast CWS, representing Cornell University, included:

Danna Blancas, Highland Park High School, Highland Park, Illinois
Patricio Casaubon, Coronado High School, El Paso, Texas
Ruben Duarte, Coronado High School, El Paso, Texas
Dariana Fajardo, Warren Township High School, Gurnee, Illinois
Abigail Garcia, Argo Community High School, Summit, Illinois
Lynae Glover, Round Lake High School, Round Lake, Illinois
Ubaldo Granados, Cedar Ridge High School, Round Rock, Texas
Ana Pedroza, Escuela Carlos Pereyra, Torreon, Coahuila
Isabelle Perez, B. Reed Henderson High School, West Chester, Pennsylvania
Evelyn Plascencia, Zion Benton Township High School, Zion, Illinois
Fabiola Salazar, IB at Lamar Academy, McAllen, Texas
Dennis Saucedo, Bishop Dunne High School, Dallas, Texas
Christine Tomasino, Health Careers High School, San Antonio, Texas
Joel Ythier, Archbishop Stepinac High School, White Plains, New York

The winners of the Northeast CWS Thought Series included:

Mia Aleman, IB at Lamar Academy, McAllen, Texas
Daniel Benitez, Central Catholic High School, San Antonio, Texas
Karina Contreras, Pebble Hills High School, El Paso, Texas
Matthew Diaz, Central Catholic High School, San Antonio, Texas
Chris Fan, Westwood High School, Austin, Texas
Marina Flores, Stony Point High School, Round Rock, Texas
Christian Garza, Central Catholic High School, San Antonio, Texas
Angela Goff, Westwood High School, Austin, Texas
William Noxon, Round Rock High School, Round Rock, Texas
Sandra Peña, Harlingen South High School, Harlingen, Texas
Izel Pineda, Sandra Day O’Connor High School, San Antonio, Texas
Andrea Rodriguez, St. Dominic Savio Catholic High School, Austin, Texas
David Shukitt, Eastwood High School, El Paso, Texas
Angeliza Sifuentes, Eastwood Academy, Houston, Texas